


i love you, banzai

by thunderylee



Category: KAT-TUN (Band), NewS (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - High School, Gals being pals, Gen, love live parody
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-07 13:04:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20817755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderylee/pseuds/thunderylee
Summary: Koyama and the rest of Cartoon News take a trip to Kame's family's beach house to mentally, physically, and emotionally prepare for Love Live.





	i love you, banzai

**Author's Note:**

> i started this the minute i finished watching love live school idol project and had way too much fun mixing up the characters. takara (宝) = treasure.

Sparkles fly from Koyama’s costume as she takes her final pose, perfectly in the center of the seven school idols on stage in front of thousands of fans. Her ears ring with applause as her heart threatens to beat out of her chest, because it’s _over_. They’ve performed at Love Live and all that’s left to do is wait for the winner to be announced.

It’s impossible to hug all six of them at once, but she makes it work somehow. Even Nakamaru and Shige manage to get pulled into it despite their attempts to resist. They’ve all worked so hard to get to this point, and this is their last competition before Nakamaru and Ueda graduate.

Before they know it, they’re on stage waiting to see what group had earned the most votes. Second runner-up isn’t them, and neither is first, though each pause of suspense has Koyama tightening her grip on Massu, who is the only member who can handle the strength of Koyama’s unwavering love.

“The winner of this year’s Love Live competition is... Cartoon News!”

Koyama can’t see from the tears that fill her eyes, but she’s bouncing up and down by a force that’s not of her own. Her feet leave the floor and she realizes she’s being carried, the group leader lifted by the other six members (though if Tegoshi’s actually helping, she’ll eat her tiara), and sakura petals fall from the sky and caress her face as everyone cheers for her.

“As expected from Kei-chan!”

“We owe everything to Leader!”

“Keira.”

“Because Kei-chan believed in us, we won!”

“Our leader is the best!”

“_Keira_.”

“It was all Kei-chan’s idea to be school idols in the first place, did you know?”

“Kei-chan is amazing!”

“KEIRRRA WAKE UP.”

Koyama has one of those falling off a cliff moments while lying perfectly still, blinking her eyes open to find a very angry girl with long burgundy hair staring down at her. A belated chill surges down her spine at the way her friend of several years and fellow school idol had rolled the R in her name like a yakuza member.

“I was having the _best_ dream,” she says as she stretches. “We won Love Live, and you were all carrying me on your shoulders, and—”

“It’ll stay a dream if you don’t get up and practice with us,” Massu cuts her off, speaking in her stern yet polite tone that’s somehow scarier than if she’d used vulgar language. “Weren’t you the one who wanted to watch the sunrise?”

Koyama yawns, glancing to the window to see the first sign of daybreak. “About that...”

“The rest of us are up, so you are too,” Massu decides, dragging the blanket off her bed as she walks right out the door.

“So mean,” Koyama mumbles as she reluctantly gets to her feet, the excitement of the upcoming competition overriding her usual laziness.

The other girls may be physically outside, but they’re not all awake. Kame doesn’t even have both eyes open as she stretches with Nakamaru, whose mane of natural black hair completely covers her face and makes her look like the dead girl from _The Ring_. Shige and Tegoshi are arguing already, though neither one seems to be putting a lot of energy into it, and Ueda’s warming up by herself across the room, using the railing as a barre and bending in ways that have Koyama wincing in sympathy.

The ocean shines in the distance and Koyama’s body is confused because she should be on vacation in a place like this, only they came here to work. Kame’s family’s beach house is the perfect getaway for seven teenage girls who don’t really have anywhere to rehearse aside from the school roof, not to mention the scenery is beautiful.

If Koyama were a romantic person, she’d be dreaming of finding love on this very beach, but she’s a school idol whose only focus is doing well in class and winning Love Live. That kind of love is for when she’s older, anyway. Right now is all about Cartoon News. Even if she’s convinced that a couple of her group mates have managed to combine the two in the past nine months they’ve been performing together.

“Do it properly, Yuuko!” Massu chides their youngest, getting a big yawn in response from the pink-haired girl. “We can’t win Love Live if you keep dancing like you’re on a pole.”

“Or maybe that’s why we _will_ win,” Tegoshi replies with a saucy wink that has Massu flushing pink. “Just because _you_ don’t like dancing sexy doesn’t mean that the rest of us can’t.”

“I taught you how to dance like that, brat,” Kame calls over from where she’s now braiding Nakamaru’s hair.

“Thank you, Kazumi-_senpai_,” Tegoshi says sweetly, and Kame’s eyes glaze over.

“I thought we were doing away with the honorifics this weekend?” Koyama asks, confused, and Ueda walks over specifically to pet her blonde head.

Shige practice the moves a few more times before she slumps to the ground, glistening with sweat as she makes her way to Koyama. “You’d think Taka was our leader,” she huffs.

“She’d probably be better at it,” Koyama says sheepishly, watching how Massu scrutinizes the other girls (the ones who are actually practicing, anyway) and points out where they need improvement. “Come on, Shige. We have to work hard to win Love Live!”

“I’ve been working hard all morning!” Shige protests. “You’re the one who hasn’t done anything...”

Koyama ignores her and joins Ueda in the middle of their dance routine. She may not be great at exercising, but she’s quick to memorize routines even if they’re a bit flouncy and overdramatic. Her fans find that endearing anyway.

After several grueling hours, Massu finally agrees that they’ve earned a break and they all rush to change into their bathing suits. Koyama, Tegoshi, and Kame play in the ocean while Ueda and Nakamaru lay out and Shige reads a book. Massu swims for a bit before stretching in the sand, smiling for the first time all day as she glances around at the others.

Even though the sun’s been shining brightly this entire time, Koyama feels it even more when Massu smiles.

The feeling is short-lived, but everyone is in considerably better moods. They break for lunch and wait the mandatory half hour before resuming vigorous activity, during which Kame and Massu clean up a bit while Tegoshi takes a nap and Shige reluctantly helps Koyama dye her hair silver.

“Ah! Kei-chan looks so shiny!” Tegoshi exclaims when she wakes up, and Koyama hugs her in response.

“Back to work!” Massu booms, followed by five grumbling variations and Koyama’s cheerful one. “Nice hair, Keira.”

Koyama grins and floats through their afternoon dance drills. Massu makes them go through the whole routine of all three songs they’ll be performing at Love Live, stopping them each time one person is out of sync until they’re all perfect. It’s frustrating but rewarding when they _know_ they’ve got it, even if it’s just the ocean applauding their efforts for now.

“We’re gonna win, Kei-chan,” Tegoshi says as they lug their tired bodies back to the house to settle in for the night. “We’re gonna win, and this is all gonna be worth it.”

“Yeah,” Koyama replies, slumping into the shower the minute it’s her turn. Luckily, Tegoshi is there to hold her up.

She returns to the living room to find seven futons rolled out in a circle, tilting her head in confusion. “What’s wrong with our bedrooms?” she asks.

“In order to be the best school idols, we need to bond as a group,” Ueda explains, and Koyama notices that Massu looks uncomfortable for the first time all weekend.

“We’re going to have a slumber party?” Tegoshi exclaims. “Yay! I want to sleep next to Kei-chan and Massu.”

“Me?” Massu repeats, starting a bit from the sudden attention on her. “Why me?”

“You’re cuddly,” Tegoshi tells her, and that flush returns to Massu’s face.

“I’ll take Takara’s other side,” Nakamaru offers, and Massu gives the older girl a grateful look.

They work out the sleeping arrangements and Koyama settles between Tegoshi and Shige, wide awake and excited to stay up late talking. She’s had slumber parties with just Massu and Shige before, but not any of the other girls.

Ueda brings out a small suitcase of makeup she’d gotten from her older sister and she and Tegoshi offer makeovers, though the results are drastically different. Ueda’s are actually tasteful while Tegoshi leave Shige and Kame looking like streetwalkers.

“Don’t slut-shame, Massu,” Tegoshi says evenly when Massu points out the obvious. “A woman can do whatever she wants with her body.”

“I know, but...” Massu trails off as Kame returns the favor on Tegoshi’s face. “Whatever. Do what you like.”

Koyama stares into Shige’s coal-lined eyes. “Shigemi? Are you in there?”

“May I wash my face now?” Shige asks flatly.

“I think it looks great, Yuuko,” Kame tells Tegoshi, who’s beginning to pout, and the youngest perks right back up at that.

“It does, doesn’t it?” she replies.

Once she’s finished contouring Nakamaru’s nose, Ueda starts in on Koyama’s hair and Koyama closes her eyes to the gentle trails of Ueda’s nails along her scalp. It feels so nice that Koyama tunes out the conversation around her, Kame and Tegoshi teasing Massu about something while Nakamaru—ever the peacemaker—tries to get them to stop. Judging by Massu’s increased tone of annoyance, it’s not working.

“Hey, Keira-chan,” Ueda says quietly, and Koyama makes a soft noise of acknowledgement. “What’s up with Takara-chan? She’s unusually tense tonight, moreso than usual.”

“Dunno,” Koyama answers with a shrug.

“Yuume-chan doesn’t know either,” Ueda goes on, and Koyama can hear the frown in the older girl’s voice. “We’re worried.”

“Maybe she’s just nervous about our performance?” Koyama suggests. “It may not seem like it, but she does really care about Cartoon News and wants us to win.”

“Maybe,” Ueda says evasively, and Koyama succumbs to those magic fingers for a little while longer.

When Ueda finally finishes making tiny little braids out of Koyama’s hair, the others have quieted down a bit. Shige and Tegoshi are listening to one pair of earbuds together, Massu and Kame are flipping through a fashion magazine, and Nakamaru’s already asleep. Ueda had been talking to the others the whole time, mostly about school-related things, and Koyama listens halfheartedly before she starts to feel sleepy too.

The next thing she knows, it’s dark and Tegoshi is tugging on her sleeve. “Kei-chan, wake up.”

Koyama groans, but she can never stay mad at Tegoshi. “What’s wrong, Yuuko?”

“Massu’s gone.”

That has Koyama sitting straight up in her futon, widening her eyes until she can clearly see four snoozing girls and one very anxious one. She doesn’t know the layout of Kame’s beach house very well, but she steps carefully and feels her way around, only bumping into a few things as she roams the halls looking for their missing member.

She passes an open window and hears a sound from outside, and sure enough, there’s a mane of burgundy flowing on the back patio. Koyama watches her for a minute, wondering if she should intrude on what was clearly meant to be a solitary moment, but then she hears the faintest sniffle and races outside so fast that she almost crashes into the table and chairs right outside the door.

“Keira?” Massu gasps in surprise, doing a very bad job of pretending like she wasn’t crying. “What are you doing out here?”

“What are _you_ doing out here?” Koyama demands, clutching her chest as she realizes how scared she’d actually been. “Yuuko thought you had left.”

“Where would I even go?” Massu asks wistfully. “We’re hours from home and I have no transportation.”

“Is something wrong, Takara?” Koyama counter-asks, using Massu’s full given name for one of the first times since she’s known her. “You can tell me anything, you know.”

“You don’t take this school idol thing seriously,” Massu blurts out, and Koyama frowns at getting a lecture in the middle of the night. “What will you do without me, honestly? You can’t win Love Live if you don’t put in the _work_.”

“What do you mean, ‘What _will_ I do without you?’” Koyama asks carefully, and Massu stares at the ground. “Are you quitting?”

“I got an offer to study abroad at a fashion school in America,” Massu answers, choking a little on her words.

“You did?” Koyama asks, and Massu nods. “That’s great!”

“It’s not great, because I have to leave before Love Live!” Massu practically yells, and Koyama frowns as the weight of the situation falls upon her. “Everything we’ve worked so hard for...”

“Masuda Takara, you listen to me,” Koyama says firmly, her tone so out of character that Massu looks at her in disbelief. “Being a school idol is important, but so is your life after graduation. You have the opportunity to actually jump-start your _career_. I will miss you, and Cartoon News won’t be the same without you, but don’t you for one minute regret this decision to make a better _you_.”

“Keira...” Massu says slowly, her chin trembling until she throws her arms around Koyama, squeezing her so tightly that Koyama can barely breathe. “Thank you.”

Koyama hugs her back, then helps her wipe her tears until it isn’t as obvious that she was crying. “Besides, Massu is a treasure wherever she goes,” she adds, making the silly pun on the other girl’s name to lighten up the mood.

As expected, Massu groans and shoves Koyama away, but that smile has returned to light up the world in the dead of night.

“We have to tell the others,” Koyama says gently as they start to head back inside.

“Not this weekend,” Massu pleads, and Koyama reluctantly agrees.

Tegoshi flings her arms around Massu the minute she sees her, and Massu’s distracted enough to let her. Koyama ends up in Tegoshi’s futon as they both cuddle Massu, joined by Nakamaru when she rolls over in her sleep and starfishes across all three of them. By the time the sun starts to peek through the curtains, Ueda and Kame have managed to relocate their way as well, Ueda pressed against Koyama’s back while Kame had curled up right on top of Tegoshi.

“What the hell, you guys?” Shige calls out from across the room, where she has at least four futons to herself. “What kind of group are we, anyway?”

“The best kind,” Tegoshi answers, her voice muffled by Kame’s wild hair, and Koyama nods in agreement.


End file.
